All I Need
by Ella Twain
Summary: This is a Harry Potter and House, M.D. crossover-future fan fiction. There is a new head doctor at Princeton-Planesboro Teaching Hospital and just maybe, she’ll bring a little ‘magic’ with her.
1. Prologue

All I Need

**All I Need**

Disclaimer: The characters and subsequent terms are all property of J.K. Rowling and the publishing companies to which…published them. That should do.

Rating: T (To be safe…)

Summary: This is a _Harry Potter_ and _House, M.D._ crossover-future fan fiction. There is a new head doctor at Princeton-Planesboro Teaching Hospital and just maybe, she'll bring a little 'magic' with her.

'A Very Special' A/N: This is written in a similar verse or style to my story _Be My Escape_ and is a story in my collection of _The Daughters' Of_ Series. (For more information check out my LJ for TvDaughter.) Another note: I do not for the most part do cannon couple; please stop reading now if all you love is canon. This _is not_ the fiction for you. Everyone else, please read, review and enjoy or not. It's your choice.

EllaTwain

_What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what kind of a person you are._

C.S. Lewis

Just one week. That's all she's asked that I give her; one more week.

What's one week really? 7 days, 168 hours, 10,008 minutes, 604,800 seconds.

_Alright-_

Its one week too long.

One week in a world I have no business or desire to even remotely exist in for a day- let alone _seven_ of them. A world that in my reality is resolved to fairytales, legends, nightmares, and wives tales. This is the world I am to be subjected to and merely observe.

It's a magical world. And I am many things but magical.

In true admittance, I am what some in this world might call a '_Squib_.' This name is derogatory in the magical world; it is a cut-down. I guess in non-magical terms it might be like calling another person stupid, inept, incompetent, and hopeless. To be a '_Squib_' means you were born of magic but nothing magical flows through you. It's a defect, a birth defect really.

I suppose I should be offended to be deemed such a term but I have lived in reality for far too long to even care. I live as a Muggle. I learn as a Muggle. I _love being a Muggle_. Muggle is only a slightly less derogatory than '_Squib_' in certain circles. A 'Muggle' for the uninformed populous is a non-magical person. If you are a 'Muggle' you are in the majority of the population of the entire world. You aren't one of the sacred few to discover that all things that make you unique and unusual may attributed to being magical.

I register myself as Muggle these days when I must.

And _**oh**_, _how I have shamed my family_. My illustrious magical family that could never think of producing a '_Squib_' heir is shamed by me. My parents are very magical- in fact they are a part of the very famous wizarding community. They are a living legend witch and wizard. Before me, there were three brothers all as magical as they were. And the magical-wizarding-famous-family was happy.

Then I was born. And they waited. _And waited_. And they waited some more for the signs- any signs really- of my magical ability to appear. Nothing ever came. They took me to 'specialists' and 'healers' and the most brilliant wizarding minds of the day. After seven painful years, it was deduced that I was a '_Squib._'

At seven years old I was old enough to understand what had happened and young enough to wish it hadn't. To make matters worse, as if they could be-my younger brother and sisters were born. They all showed magical signs by the time they were two. Suddenly I didn't fit in and I was a hidden horrible family secret. I was the '_Squib_' daughter spoke in hushed tones. Finally, the hushed tones grew louder and to 'protect me' my family sent me to a New York boarding school.

They hid me here in the States amongst all the Muggles, who had no idea who they were and that I was less-than-worthy in another world. In the Muggle world, I thrived. I want to say that is because it's where I belonged and not because I wanted to prove something but I can't.

I attended _St. Peter's School for the Gifted_ till I was 16 years old. I graduated high school when I was 16 and then I went to Princeton and graduated from the pre-med program when I was 19 years old. I went to John Hopkins University School of Medicine and finished my fellowship last year. I'm 26 years old and have just recently been hired as the Head of the Princeton-Planesboro Teaching Hospital Medical and newly constructed Dialysis Clinic. I am a family practitioner with also a specialty in nephrology, as well. All of this and I managed a 4.0 G.P.A. for most of my schooling career, a group of close and intimate friends from New Jersey to New York, a few odd-jobs here and there, and not relying on my family to support me in any way. The schools I attended I attended on full-ride scholarships and medical school was paid for by time spent working in free clinics for credit, the odd-jobs I could sway, and working at the schools themselves if necessary.

In the Muggle world, somebody might be proud of me. In the magical one, I disgraced my family even more by refusing help. My family isn't poor or even middle class. They are well-to-do and for their daughter, even the one they never spoke of, to rely on hand-outs and aid was demeaning. To me, it was the way of life when you are what I am.

I begin my new position at the hospital in two weeks. I am letting my Mum have her one week. She gets one week out of my summer and my career and my life and nothing more. I'll be present but I never promise more than that with my family. To do so, well…it might mean I start believing that the people and the world that abandon me might care or _give a damn_.

And then I am back to being the seven year old little girl who watches in a dark corner, hid by large once-friendly book shelves, and a tear stained face as her parents' weep and rage that their daughter isn't…magical but just an ordinary human being. _What a complete waste_.

I am not seven anymore and being what I was meant to be will no longer reduce me to tears. I won't let it.


	2. I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane

**All I Need**

Disclaimer: The characters and subsequent terms are all property of J.K. Rowling and the publishing companies to which…published them. That should do.

Rating: T (To be safe…)

Summary: This is a _Harry Potter_ and _House, M.D._ crossover-future fan fiction. There is a new head doctor at Princeton-Planesboro Teaching Hospital and just maybe, she'll bring a little 'magic' with her.

A/N: As I said this story mirrors how I have written others...I did as much research as I could. Please read, review and the like...

EllaTwain

* * *

_**I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane--**_**Chapter One**

It was one in the afternoon when Miranda arrived at the Heathrow Airport. It had been an exhausting 7 hour flight from Newark Airport in New Jersey to Heathrow. Her flight had originally been First Class but after much debate and arguing with a less-than pleasant ticket clerk, she managed to push herself back to Coach and pocket the extra money. She was debt-free but not rich and especially short-on-change after placing down a 1300 lease on her loft in New Jersey.

In reality it was a steal for Miranda. The loft was close enough to the Hospital to walk and save on rising gas prices and to work long hours and overtime and be in a comfortable distance from home. She had spent the last week moving-in with her meager yet treasured belongings and trinkets and was settled. She had secretly wished to spend the week reading up on her colleagues and settling into the Hospital but she had made a promise.

_A stupid, stupid, stupid promise_, she thought as she carried herself through the throngs of people to search for her 'ride'. She wondered who they had sent and if they would recognize her. It had been almost ten full years since she had seen or _well_, met with any of her family. However the obvious resemblance to the rest of them would be impossible to miss.

Miranda was tall and lean but not entirely from genetics. She loved to run and had even made a point to find the best jogging route in her new surroundings in New Jersey. Her hair was an agreeable mix of her mother's and father's. It was long, black, 'shiny' and curly. She was blessed enough to inherit more of her Mum's face than her Dad's. However, her eyes- _they were his_. No mistaking that she thought ironically, she was the only child to inherit his eyes. Her skin would be darker than her family's though. A product of living in the Muggle world in New York and with her friends- they introduced her to the lovely world of fake lotion tanning. Her skin still carried that glow as if she had just stepped off the beach.

"**RANDA! RANDA!**" Two boisterous voices shouted over the throngs of people.

Miranda grimaced. She _hated_ that nickname. To her friends in New York she was _Mir_ or _Miranda_. To her medical peers she was simply _Ana_. _Randa_ was a name reserved for her family and instigated by the two young men shouting it and waving their arms erratically.

It might be said, while the two young men, like their sister did remind you of their parents- in their mannerisms they were completely different. Yes, of course, they carried the innate brilliance of the clan but these young men were jovial, sweet-natured, bemused by most anything and amusing. They were even handsome due to their winsome personalities from which no could surmise who exactly that had come from.

"RANDA!" One of the young men shouted as he ran to his sister and twirled her in the air in a gigantic-engulfing hug.

Miranda returned the hug, only a little more awkwardly. "Theo…" She sighed as he finally put her down.

Miranda wasn't on her feet for long as Theo's identical twin pulled her into a similar hug and shouting her name, too.

"Remus, it's good to see you too." She spoke, finally finding the fake smile she had intended to plaster on her face for the entire visit.

The brothers looked at their sister amazed and bewildered. The last they had seen of her she was just 16 years old and still looked like a kid. Yet here she was, very much the young woman. She had grown-up and they had missed that entirely.

"Randa you look wonderful!" Remus exclaimed a little too enthusiastically. "Really…obviously New…New…" He fumbled to remember the State name she was currently-in.

"The States suit you." Theo finished for him.

"Thanks. You guys look great too." She replied.

There was the classic awkward silence before Remus spoke-up. "I guess we better get your bags and get to the '_key_."

"Right, my bags. This is all I brought." Miranda shrugged as she had her carry-on bag on one shoulder and her laptop bag on the other.

"Oh, that's all you need? I thought girls packed more than that…" Theo joked.

"_Some girls might_." Miranda supposed; a little perturbed at the sweeping generalization of her sex. In more ways than she cared to admit she was evidently like her Mum.

"Well, then let's go." Theo urged on but not before giving a glance at his twin.

_This is not going well_, Remus thought.

Reading his mind, Theo replied, _You're not kidding. _

The brothers, who were artful in the art of legilimency, didn't need words to express their feelings over their younger sister. It was an incessant topic amongst all the siblings. From the first to the last of them, they always felt incomplete without her. It was strange too because she had never really ever been a part of them. She was sent to the States when she was eight. She stopped coming home on holidays and summers when she was ten. When she had graduated high school, for reasons kept solely to their parents, she had seemingly cut all ties. _Somehow though_ they had missed her and felt as if they had attributed to their sister's self-imposed hiding.

But they were determined to make it right with her. They were determined to fix what their parents had miserably broken. Remus and Theo had done hours upon hours of research on the Internet about Miranda.

_It was amazing what the Internet and clever hacking could tell you about a person_. Miranda had graduated from pre-med school the top of her class. She went to a very nice and esteemed medical school where she was offered her pick of internships, residencies, and eventually fellowships. She had done lots of service work in cooperation with her schooling. And now--now she was an official Muggle doctor who would be the youngest Head at the hospital she was employed-- **ever**. There was a lot to be proud of about their sister; even if they didn't understand most of it. They were so proud that they thought she deserved a dinner party while she was home- a dinner party to celebrate her accomplishments in the Muggle world. They had gone behind their parents' backs and invited all their extended family and friends to a dinner party on Friday night.

When their Mum and Dad found out, their Mum and especially their Dad, had raged about the deception. The siblings merely united and gave them what for! Miranda was a part of their family and like it or not she was somebody! Maybe she wasn't somebody _in their world_ but she was somebody in a world that had just as much importance. There was no backing-down. She was getting a dinner party and their parents' could go if they wanted but seeing it was at their house they might as well show-up.

Theo had been a little concerned about not running the party by Miranda first but wisely thought she couldn't exactly escape it either and it might do everyone good. _Or so they hoped_.

It wasn't long before they reached their 'ride'--a **Venti Starbucks Frappacino **cup, seemingly thrown on the floor of the Airport. Everybody walked past it or over it- even the janitorial staff. The item was only visible to the designated parties…that being them.

Remus looked at his watch. "Good, we're right on time. Two minutes left…" He gave a look back to Miranda, who stood cautiously by the cup. "You 'member how this goes _right_?"

"Yes. I grab the cup. Hold on for life. And magically I will be whisked away to the determined location."

"That's it."

"I do so love portkeys." Miranda mumbled, wondering why they couldn't have a little more normal and just taken a cab to the house. She grabbed a small piece of the discarded cup, tightened the straps of her bags on each shoulder and braced for dear life.

Very quietly, Theo counted down and in a flash that was apparent to no one three bodies disappeared. It was like falling off a cliff and finally they fell or landed into the lush green hills of the family summer home in the Lake District.

Remus and Theo gave her hopeful smiles and took her bags immediately from her. "_Mum will be so thrilled to see you_." They replied in unison as they headed to the country home that sat ideally near glimmering lake.

"_I'm sure_." Miranda offered, placing the fake smile back on her face and began taking paces to keep up with her brothers. It wasn't a miles walk before they were at the front door. The twins walked right-in but Miranda hesitated. She looked upward and thought of her lovely loft and her job in New Jersey.

_One week_, she began to repeat in her head. _One week in the Granger-Snape family and that's it_. And she stepped into their summer home and into the happy shrieks of her sisters and Mum at her arrival.

**Princeton-Planesboro Teaching Hospital**

"Where's the hooch?"

Doctor Lisa Cuddy was _not in the mood_. "What do you want House?" She groaned as she found him lounging in her office chair and yet again, rummaging through her desk.

House wheeled the chair around and looked-up and gave the fourth month pregnant doctor a wicked grin. "Oh, there _she _is." He replied.

Lisa walked over to the back of black leather chair and dumped its despicable contents on the floor. House landed with a thud on the carpet which only improved her current state by a little. He reached for his cane, cursed and stood up using the edge of her desk.

"Now, what do you _really _want House?"

"Rumor has it you hired a new head for the Medical and Dialysis Clinic?"

"No."

"_No, you didn't hire anyone_?"

"No, as in it isn't a rumor. It's true. I did hire a head for the Clinics."

"Who?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because I need to know who I will be hiding from when I have Clinic duty."

"Very funny. But seriously, why do you care who I hire?"

"He cares because he's House and if he's anything, he's curious." A voice replied, sauntering into Cuddy's office.

"Damn it! You found me! Okay, it's your turn to hide. I'll count to a million. And…GO!"

"Just tell him." Doctor James Wilson urged Cuddy.

"Fine." She sighed, once more exasperated by the childish head diagnostician. "Her name--"

"_Ooooh_, you hired a woman. How very equal rights of you." House interjected.

"Her name is Doctor Miranda Snape. She is a family practitioner with also a specialty in nephrology. She attended Princeton and then John Hopkins. She comes highly recommended having completed her fellowship at Oschner's Health System in New Orleans."

"Blah blah blah. How old is she? Where is she from? Is she a virgin? Does she enjoy long walks on the beach?"

"She's 26 years old. She's from England but has lived in New York City most of her life. I don't know if she's a virgin- it didn't come-up in the interview. And by the look of her, I imagine she does enjoy long walks on the beach. Too bad you're not great at the _walking thing_." Cuddy jabbed for good measure.

"Pregnancy has improved your humor."

"And being a cripple has made you a jackass. What's your point?"

"She's 26?"

"Yes, she's 26."

"_Hello, Doogie_. Isn't that a _little young_, even for Wilson's taste?"

"Normally I would be put off by that comment but I met her." Wilson shrugged.

"**WHAT?!** The _Lolita-Lecher_ got to meet her and I didn't?!"

Cuddy merely glared. "Is there anything absolutely relative to your original inquiry? Because if there isn't I have several board meetings I need to prepare for, a kicking child within my expanding stomach and a craving for a chocolate shake."

"If she's 26 years old, then she's really _really _smart. Why didn't she apply for a fellowship here?"

Cuddy and Wilson gave a simultaneous chuckle. This was the part of the interview that had personally clinched the job for the young woman. "I asked her the same thing. I explained a fellowship in your department and under your wing was something like winning _American Idol, _apparently."

"What did she say?" House asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"She replied and I quote her, 'If I wanted to work under a _masochistic-self-aggrandizing-narcissistic-lunatic-bastard who has no concept of how to relate to any member of the human species_, let alone needy patients, I would have taken a _bloody_ fellowship with my Dad.' She then went on to explain she actually cares about people and others and has no desire to work for someone who doesn't." Cuddy relayed with a certain dramatic flare; particularly emphasizing the doctor's keen and right-on characterization of Doctor House.

"So she's heard about me then?"

"Apparently; is that it?"

House looked at Cuddy and Wilson and pushed himself off the edge of Cuddy's desk; cane in hand. He made it to the door of her office before turning around with one last quip. "Is she an orphan?"

Cuddy gave House a quizzical look- not quite understanding the left-field question. Wilson didn't even look-up from the parenting magazine he had been perusing to answer. "No, she's not an orphan. She was raised in England till she was eight and sent to a private boarding school in New York City. Her familial information is sparse but checks-out. Her personal recommendations include the Prime Minister of England, who called her 'a gifted-young woman from a brilliantly gifted-family,' to several seemingly high ranking officials in certain official British ministries. Her mother works within a division of these ministries and her father is currently a C.E.O. of his own profitable business dealing in…well, it never really said. Both attended premiere British academies and her family is apparently famous there."

"Nothing else? Brothers or sisters? What ministries her family works for?"

"No, House. Nothing. But we tend to try to not hire on family connections of lack thereof if at all possible." Cuddy reiterated as she sat at her desk, finally.

House gave another shrug. "_Interesting_." He muttered as he hobbled out of her office.

Lisa glanced at Wilson, who was still reading the magazine and reclining on her office couch. "You don't think he's out to get her already, do you?"

"I think House is going to do anything within his power to get out of Clinic duty--even if it means making the new Head of the Clinics one of his mysteries to be solved and conquered."

"And Miranda?"

Wilson put the magazine down at last and gave a large grin as he folded his arms. "I think House will finally meet his match."

Cuddy, still not completely sure but a little more confident, gave a small smile and began working on her notes for the meetings before ordering Jimmy to get her a chocolate shake seeing how this was his child she was carrying in the first place.

--


	3. Love and Memories

**All I Need**

Disclaimer: The characters and subsequent terms are all property of J.K. Rowling and the publishing companies to which…published them. That should do.

Rating: T (To be safe…)

Summary: This is a _Harry Potter_ and _House, M.D._ crossover-future fan fiction. There is a new head doctor at Princeton-Planesboro Teaching Hospital and just maybe, she'll bring a little 'magic' with her.

A/N: _Explanation time with the author_. When I began this story I thought little to nothing of the time continuum. In reality for this story to take place, well, House would have to be much older and Miranda much younger. So I say this with great dignity and manner--screw time. Seriously, it is what might be S5 for _House_ and that matches up with the nearly twenty years into the future for _Harry Potter_. Suspension of disbelief would be wise. I hope this doesn't ruin the story. Oh, one more note, please don't judge the characters too quickly their stories are still very much playing out. Read, review or heckle--it's yours to do.

Etc. A/N: This is long. It will be awhile before I can update after this. Sorry--major work and vacation ahead. ;)

--EllaTwain

* * *

**SNAPE SUMMER HOME**

Hermione Granger-Snape sat in an over-stuffed chair in a cozy drawing room in the front of the house. She simply sat there and watched as her other daughters: Eileen and Lillian attached them selves to Miranda's sides on the matching couch across the room. The girls jabbered with such fury as Miranda struggled to completely understand all they were saying.

Hermione Granger-Snape was a woman who had aged with grace and beauty. Her hair was tamer, grayer, and styled in a new fashion Ginny _had insisted_ she try. Hermione had kept her body and composure as a result of being the mother to seven kids, a grandmother too, a full-time job within the Department of De-Charming and Prevention in the Ministry, and still keeping a house…of sorts. The lines around her eyes were deeper and the wrinkles on her were a little more pronounced. However, as evident by last night's activities, her husband still found her gorgeous and worth the ravishing.

Her daughter, _her first-born daughter_, was stunning. Eileen and Lillian were pretty; taking far too much after her with their respective brown and black frazzled hair and their father's skinny gaunt build and color. They had both learned, much like Hermione, to use what they had been dealt to their advantages. However, both paled in comparison to their older sister, and it was never as obvious as now as the three sat next to each other.

Miranda's hair was beautifully tame and curly. Her build was almost athletic. Hermione remembered she had mentioned once her love of running. (This seemed odd to Hermione because the only time she or Severus ever ran was for their lives.) She glowed from the State-side sun. Then there were Miranda's eyes; they were magical. _They were her father's_. Hermione knew such eyes; those were the eyes that had drawn her to Severus and pulled her into him and their ultimate destiny together. All of the children had her brilliant shining eager eyes but Miranda. Miranda had the eyes of mysteries, secrets, and deep ancient magic. Maybe it was why Severus never looked at his daughter anymore. Looking into her eyes was a bitter reminder of all that had been lost over the years and all that would never be.

Hermione clued into the conversation just as Lillian was asking Miranda about her new post.

"_Right_, the Hospital." Miranda slightly flustered. "Uh, where to begin? Princeton-Planesboro Teaching Hospital is in New Jersey and the leading hospital in diagnostics and radical and innovative medical research and techniques."

"And you are the Department Head of…?" Eileen quizzed, curiously.

"I am the Department Head of the free Medical Clinic and the recently constructed Dialysis Clinic. I will be over-seeing all the doctors that report to Clinic for duty and I will be running the Dialysis Clinic and perhaps even consulting if needed elsewhere in the Hospital."

"That sounds real impressive." Lillian encouraged.

Miranda gave a glance at her quiet mother. Hermione had yet to say much in the conversation but appeared to be observing it all. Something within Miranda sunk a little but she buoyed as much as she could. "It is in the Muggle world, I suppose. But enough about me, tell me Eileen about your apprenticeship."

Eileen then launched on a forty-five minute explanation of her up-coming apprenticeship with a wizarding group in France that worked on wand construction. Eileen was passionate about wands and fascinated by their magic and existence. She and her twin brother, Henry had just only graduated from Hogwarts. While Eileen would be going to France, Henry was headed to Romania to work with dragons with Charlie Weasley.

Miranda listened as best she could, nodded at the right moments, and commented when needed. She understood far more about what Eileen and Henry would be doing than any of her other siblings understood about her own career. This failed to really bother her. It was the way of things.

"Have you settled in?"

It was Hermione who broke through Eileen's excitement and directed a question to Miranda.

Miranda was a little startled and turned her attention to her Mum. "Yes, just this past week. I was able to rent a loft close-by the Hospital. It's reasonable and quite pretty and extremely practical."

"Did the Hospital aid you in the lease?"

"No. I paid for it myself. I worked for a Dialysis Clinic during my fellowship. I used that money to pay the lease."

"You know you could have--"

"What? Asked you and Father? What would I ask for? _Knuts? Galleons_? I have no idea what the conversion rate is anymore. I have never asked you for aid and I don't intend to start now, Mum."

"Then why did you switch your ticket?"

Miranda sighed. She should have known they would find out what she did.

"What's Mum talking about _Randa_?" Lillian asked, not liking being out of the loop.

"I switched my plane ticket to coach and pocketed the extra money."

"Why?"

"Because Heads of free Medical Clinics and brand-new Dialysis Units don't make all that much money and pretty lofts near hospitals are expensive." She explained quickly.

"_Miranda_…" Hermione sighed. "I really wish you would get over this stubbornness and let us help you. Your father and I both have excellent jobs and have done well at providing for all our children so far; why not you?"

The words were out before Hermione had any concept of how it sounded. Fortunately for Miranda she had just as many years with her Mum making such comments and the like.

"Mum- I have never gone hungry. I have never gone without an education of the highest standards, clothing, shelter and anything that the government might consider a necessity for life. No I will not be making as much as my other siblings or ever do as well but then again I do not live in this world. In the Muggle world, in the States, I will be fine and far above the poverty level line. Don't worry about me- I never will face the dangers your _other_ children will face in their careers. The worse possible danger I will face in my job is the head diagnostician who is possibly clinically insane. That's all. Place your worries elsewhere Mum- _they would be far better there than ever with me_."

There was no malice in Miranda's tone nor hurt or even bitterness. Her tone was simple acceptance of how things were and ought to be. She sounded dreadfully like her Father. And just as he did- it didn't mean that those same words didn't pain Hermione any less. On one hand, she was quite proud her daughter was an independent and self-sufficient young woman. Nonetheless, on the other, she knew she had no part in that. Miranda had become that way on her own with no one's help. Not that she would have taken it anyway.

"I guess you're right." Hermione muttered, struggling to grasp Miranda's statement.

Lillian sighed and fell backwards to the back of the couch. She was younger than Miranda by a year or so and knew the history of her parents and her absent sister. She was still younger and had had very little time to get to know Miranda. Those few times she had- she always ended-up feeling sorry for her parents. Leo, Remus, Theo and even Eileen and Henry had taken Miranda's side in the whole disaster of the relationship. Perhaps there were things Leo, Remus and Theo knew that the younger ones didn't. Lillian still couldn't help feel that Miranda did just as much pushing if not more than Mum and Dad.

Miranda seemed arrogant at times and determined to delineate the lines between the magical and non-magical worlds; as if to establish the boundary between herself and everyone else. They were magic and she wasn't. Lillian believed there had to be a little magic within Miranda for her be normally extraordinary as she was.

"Why didn't you apply for a job here?"

"What?" Miranda asked, a little thrown-off by Lillian's question.

"I mean, why didn't you apply for a Muggle hospital job in London? You'd could be closer to home and to the family and still work in a distinguished hospital, _right_?"

Hermione looked at her daughter, who didn't squirm or flinch but still seemed a little uneasy at Lillian's line of questioning. It was there in Miranda's eyes.

"Ummm…I don't know…" Miranda sighed, not wanting to go here but here is where they had gone. "I guess a lot of reasons. I love the States, especially New Jersey and New York. I have loads of friends all over there that I keep in touch with and visit. The hospital I will be working at is the chance of a lifetime. I'm very lucky to be hired at such a high position and being so young, too. Those are the reasons, _I guess_."

"But you could've made friends here. Your family's here. I'm sure Mum and Dad could've used connections and gotten you at a hospital here that might have paid better, too." Lillian countered.

Eileen glared at her sister. _What was she doing?_ _Was she trying to guarantee that Miranda never came home again?_

"What hospital would they have connected me to Lillian? _St. Mungo's_? I doubt they need a 'Squib Muggle' doctor amongst their qualified staff." Miranda huffed.

Hermione glared at her daughter, her voice was stone and ferocious. "_**Miranda Jane Snape**_, I will not have you use _that_ word in my house. I don't care if you are even referring to yourself, _**is that clear**_?"

Miranda's head fell and she spoke quietly but assuredly. "But Mum, it is what I am. I am a 'Squib' and that to my knowledge _it is_ the technical term for a person born of magical parents with no apparent magical abilities. That is me. I don't like the term anymore than you but other than classifying myself as a Muggle, which I prefer but am not, what am I to do?" Miranda then turned to Lillian. "Lillian, to answer your question, I have known no other home than the New York City and of late, Princeton. Home is where your heart is Lillian and my heart has never resided here. If you wish to blame me for it, as I imagine you do, _then go ahead_. I will take blame for not coming home, for staying away as long as I can, and for making pitiful excuses for not visiting as I should. But Lillian, the blame will never rest on me alone. After all, I did not send myself away…that was _your_ parents."

With that Miranda stood and took her leave of the room to the guest bedroom she had been assigned.

Eileen was livid. The youngest Snape was her Mum in spades when it came to passion for underdogs. "_**HOW COULD YOU SAY SUCH THINGS LILLIAN?!"**_ Eileen howled at her sister. "Isn't bad enough she won't come to visit unless Mum begs? Isn't bad enough we don't ever see her? What are you trying to accomplish- _that we never see our sister again_? Did you even give a moment's pause to think how hard it would be for her to live here with all of us- in our world but not of it? Did you think that this is her opportunity to follow her own destiny? Who are you to judge where that should be--"

"Eileen, that is **ENOUGH**!" Hermione interrupted her daughter. "From both of you that is enough. From now on when it comes to Miranda all conversations on why she hasn't moved home, visited, or considered seeing the family more is off limits. She has her reasons and at her age, you owe her the respect to live with them. You don't have to agree with it- but we _must all live it._" And with their Mum's words, the conversation and horrific meeting were over.

* * *

_A good home must be made, not bought. --_**Joyce Maynard**

_I am hiding. _

I am hiding again. I am nine years old hiding from my parents and my brothers and my sisters. I hated summers. I hated summers here after 'everything' happened.

But I _love_ this house. I love this house because there is absolutely nothing magical about it. There's the odd disillusionment charm when company visits but other than that, this house is as Muggle as its previous owners. My Mum inherited the house from a great-uncle and great-aunt upon their deaths and shortly after her marriage. My Father and Mum agreed it wouldn't do as a year-round residence but for a summer place and what appeared to be a growing family- _it was ideal_. Every summer like clockwork my family would floo or portkey to the house with summer essentials in tow and spend countless days and afternoons enjoying the house and Lake.

When I was younger-I think five maybe- I remember my Father and I going out towards the Lake. Near the Lake were two perfectly situated trees; where my Father made appear a large very comfortable hammock. We climbed in the hammock on the sweet summer day and I lay in his arms and he read to me from one of the many books he owned. (I am certain it was about the history of a potions master; of which one I have forgotten.) I fell asleep in the afternoon and he carried me all the way back to the house. No apparating. No flying. Just walked with me in his arms back home; it was then I thought I would be his little girl. I was something important to this stern and broken man. I would be content to spend everyday with him; learning from him and listening to his smooth and dazing voice.

It was two years later, that in the library of this house I love, I heard him speak of sending me away. I heard him and my Mum wonder what to do with the likes of me. I wandered back to the trees that night and with everything I had in me I tried and tried to conjure a _bloody_ hammock. I had even gone to the lengths to steal Leo's wand. It merely backfired and sent me into the shallow ends of the rising tides. Soaked, tear-stained, and in loads of trouble for first stealing a wand and secondly causing my brother to get in trouble with the Ministry, I ran to my room.

My last night of magic and wanting anything to do with the magic my family possessed. I won't lie and say I haven't used magic to communicate with others in this world or to travel but I avoid it best I can.

It's funny how a single room can transport you across time as I sit in the library of the un-magical house. The library is round and large. It is a perfect circle with a never-ending ceiling. Every nook and cranny is packed with books from Muggle to magical. There are two breaks in the circle. The first is for a perfectly situated window seat that overlooks the Lake. It's cushioned and long enough to stretch out on. The other break is smaller and in the corner of the wall is small chair. The chair is rather uncomfortable and stiff and smells of a musty dungeon. It's my Father's chair.

I prefer the window seat. As I walk in the room I finger the texts and thousands upon thousands of books on thousands of subjects. I am not sure if my family knows how many I have read. We use to have competitions as children on who could read the most of them in a summer season. (What can I say? We are our parents' children--book obsessed and crazed as much as they are.) The competitions ended for me when I was ten but by then I can safely say I have read at least 75 of these books. My secret favorite is _Hogwarts_: _A History_. It wasn't until Leo graduated that I was ever to see the place I had read of so often and I was enthralled. I would never be able to go there or attend the beloved magic school but somehow reading about it made me feel better. It shouldn't have but it did.

I am settling myself in my window seat. I have a cup of coffee. (The proof I have lived the States too long Lillian quipped.) I also have five medical journals containing articles from colleagues: Doctors Eric Foreman, Allison Cameron, Lawrence Kutner, James Wilson, and the _doctor himself_ Doctor Gregory House. Doctors Foreman and Kutner wrote on cases they worked on as fellows under Doctor House. Doctor Cameron wrote hers on a case involving a very bizarre emergency room patient and the relationship to the patient's parents affecting the case. Doctor Wilson's article is on the ramifications of false hope in cancer patients. Then there's Doctor House's article on the case of a young woman who could not feel pain and was the host for a very long parasitic tapeworm. I'm hoping these articles will give me a little more insight to my colleagues.

In my interview I met with Doctor Cuddy, Doctor Wilson, and Doctor Cameron took me on a tour of the Hospital and its resources. I was impressed with the Hospital and the management under Doctor Cuddy. Doctor Wilson seemed immensely friendly and accommodating and helped me locate the loft which I leased. Doctor Cameron was pleasant and unabashedly honest. She was the current Head of the Emergency Unit at P.P.T.H. and a former-fellow of Doctor House. She minced no words in describing the staff at P.P.T.H. and what I would be 'dealing' with as the Head of the Clinics. She gave me fair warnings on my new job.

I was fast to inform Allison, as she insisted I call her, that I was full-aware of the staff- having heard plenty of stories at John Hopkins and in New Orleans from former peers of Doctor House and the like. I smiled as I told her very politely I was more than capable of handling problems that would arise. She gave a quirked smile, unsure if I truly was but then finally shrugged. We spent the rest of the time discussing policies and the complete disregard for most if not all of them eventually in my career. She shared several case stories with me; leaving me impressed and curious about P.P.T.H.

I opened the first journal when a presence appeared in the room. I didn't need to look-up from my journal or even give the presence acknowledgement.

It was my Father.

After years as the imposing and threatening-greasy-git Potions Master and Former Slytherin Head of House at Hogwarts, he had the distinct pleasure of honing the skills of hovering in a menacing 'quiet' way. He oozed into a room and sometimes a person could wonder if he floated rather than walked somewhere. Although he no longer wore the dark and eerie robes of a Hogwarts' professor but a far more 'casual' look of khaki slacks and a black long-sleeved shirt; he never lost his ability to strike fright into people in a given room. To me, in this instant, the room seemed to grow colder as he came in.

As I said, I hadn't always felt like that--there was a time things were different but that all changed when I graduated from high school.

* * *

**:FLASHBACK:**

"Say, 'Hello Princeton!'" Mr. Henton instructed as he took a picture of the 'crew.'

The 'Crew' as they had been known by everyone at _St. Peter's_ consisted of Mir Snape, Tara Henton, Branden Freeves, Sarah Houp, and Rob and Paul Jordan. Miranda and Branden were the youngest, both graduating at 16 years old; while Sarah was the oldest at 19. The 'Crew' had been 'lifers' at _St. Peter's_ and a motley sort of family. Mir was the only in-school resident student in the 'Crew.' However, that didn't stop all of the other families from adopting her as one of their own. She had vacationed in Hamburg with the Freeves, Wales with the Houps, Martha's Vineyard with Hentons and Jordans. She made the rounds to all the families on all the standard holidays since the age of ten.

This hadn't been a problem for the past eight years since Miranda had come to _St. Peter's_ but nothing lasts forever. Graduation would be the first time the families met the Snapes.

It was after the graduation and Miranda and the 'Crew' were having their picture taken by Mr. Henton. While the photos were being taken, Mrs. Houp took the opportunity to introduce herself to the restrained oddly misplaced Snape family.

"Mrs. Snape…" Kristine Houp cautiously asked as she outreached her hand to the mother. Mrs. Snape was not at all what Kristine or the other mothers had pictured. When she had arrived and Miranda absentedly pointed to the family that was hers, right before the ceremony. Mrs. Snape was of medium-height, medium-build, and looked far younger than her husband. Something in her face though told Kristine that she wasn't any younger than the rest of them though. Mrs. Snape very cordially took Kristine's hand and returned with a small smile. "I'm Kristine Houp, Sarah's mother. That's my brother, Kris and Tara's father taking the picture. I just wanted to introduce myself and tell you how much we just adore and love your daughter."

"Hermione, please. And thank-you for you have done for Miranda. It is greatly appreciated by my husband and myself."

Janice Freeves, along with her husband Phillip, came to also introduce themselves to Mrs. Snape. It was Janice who noticed that Hermione, as she insisted everyone call her, seemed depressed about the whole meeting. Janice was quick and very clever to figure out that it was old-fashioned envy. She had never heard the full-particulars of why Miranda refused to have so little to do with her family but had always assumed there was a slice of cause in the whole matter. Branden had confided to her that Miranda was 'sent' away and her parents' felt she was a burden of sorts. Janice knew that though Miranda was far beyond her years intellectually that still made her a teenager and not above dramatizing events- past and present.

Hermione quickly introduced her husband, Severus Snape who _did not _prefer to be called Severus. She also introduced her children present: two older twin boys-Remus and Theo, a younger girl-Lillian and a set of twins-Eileen and Henry. Hermione mentioned an older son who was in study and internship abroad by the name of Leo. The rest of the children seemed very little like their sister. It amazed Dr. Jordan, Rob and Paul's mother, that the other children were playful, clever, slightly rude in a sarcastic way, and very comfortable with their parents while Miranda was anything but that. The other Snapes also looked like both their parents' but favored one or the other definitively. Miranda was blessed with the best of both but she was an odd fit. Miranda had done everything since her family had arrived early that morning to avoid them. She had breakfast with the Jordans and got ready with the Hentons. While Dr. Jordan never minded Miranda's presence and secretly was thrilled with it in that she had eight sons and no daughters; she was worried if this wouldn't lead to a fight or worse between the young girl and her family.

"Mr. and Mrs. Snape, I'm sure you know the 'Crew' have been so close for so long…and it was their idea to have a joint graduation open house. I tried contacting the both of you but I wasn't able to reach anyone. I'm really sorry and I know this is last notice but we included Mir--I mean Miranda--in the plans, too. It will be at our house out on Fire Island later this evening. I don't know how long you plan on staying but you are, of course, welcome and don't need to worry about anything. We took care of it. As we've said, we're very proud of Miranda as much as our own kids. She's an amazing daughter." Garnet Jordan spoke, looking to both of the Snapes, in hopeful expectation. He had tried to contact them but never received any response. He had used a few contacts he had abroad and made sure he had the right addresses and numbers listed. Nothing ever came of it.

Severus first looked to his daughter. Miranda had said barely three words to them since they arrived. She was aloof and distant. He assumed this was merely how she was; afterall he'd been the same way at that age. Yet, he watched her with her friends and their families before and after the 'graduation rite' and discovered that was not all who she was. She laughed and smiled with her friends. She was enveloped in hugs and kisses from all of their parents and warm smiles. She was happy with _them_. She talked non-stop with her teachers- welcoming an informality that he'd never seen or cared to from a student to a teacher. He had rallied it showed a certain amount of disrespect. But maybe this was American Muggle culture and this was what she had been raised in too.

He then looked to his wife. Her eyes had dimmed since they arrived. His normally vibrant know-it-all talkative wife was reserved and complacent. She'd not been this way an entire day of their courtship or marriage. What had come over her was a mystery at first. It was currently, as this man spoke to them, he realized what was wrong.

These strangers- these complete Muggle strangers- had raised their daughter. They knew everything about her and they were the ones planning her celebration. In another place, it _should have been them_ but it wasn't. Miranda hadn't even thought to contact them. She'd known that reaching them by any Muggle means would have been difficult if not impossible. Miranda knew how to owl a person and to obtain one wouldn't have been ridiculous. There were several Owl Posts within the States; over five in New York City alone. He was then very angry with his daughter and how she'd hurt her mother.

A scowl, the very earmark of his perturbance, spread across his face. He took the stance he had taken so often in past days as a Professor. His drawl was slow and deep and darkened. "We appreciate to all the work you went through but I am afraid my wife and our family had plans of our own to celebrate Miranda's accomplishments. Perhaps when we are finished she may go out but we will be unable to attend."

It was at this exact moment Miranda had walked over to the growing group of adults. She had meant to make it over sooner just in case there were questions that arose but she had been caught-up in the excitement.

"What?!" Miranda practically yelled at her father.

"Miranda today is a day with your family and we have traveled very far to be here. You will be spending it with us and not another word." Her Father spoke- his tone was not to be misunderstood.

Miranda looked at them and then to the Hentons, Freeves, and Jordans and mumbled a quick apology and retreated back to the school to finish packing. Neither of her parents followed her as Hermione had stormed off in the direction of the parking lot and with her children on her heels.

Garnet was steaming; he spoke his mind very clearly to Mr. Snape. "We have been _her family_. She has spent holidays and summers _with us_. Every joy and hurt in _her _life we have been there for--where were you? You are her father by all biological accounts, that I'm sure but we are her family, too. And we deserved the right to celebrate this day with her. When you are finished with "your plans" please send her to the address on this card." With that, Garnet Jordan slammed a card against Severus Snape's chest and strode off. His wife had gone to help and check-on Miranda. The rest of the parental group walked past him and ignored him completely.

Severus made his way to his wife who was leaning against a pole. Remus and Theo had been using a Muggle pay phone to call their car and Lillian, Eileen and Henry were sitting on a bench nearby.

"How _could you_?" She muttered angrily at her husband.

"Because it was the right thing to do." He responded, giving no pause or doubt as to his decision.

"Was it?"

"Yes, Hermione it was. She's our daughter. She refuses to see us most of the time but I will _not_ allow her this- this is a time for family." He was silent for a moment before finishing. "And _you_ taught me that much."

Their car arrived and by the time it had Miranda had joined them solemnly and without accompaniment. She placed her boxes and things in the trunk of the car. For a normal Muggle car this would not have been possible but for the magical car they had been given as a special courtesy from the American Magical Consulate it had an extendable trunk. They rode to the hotel where the driver and valets unloaded the trunk. Miranda and the rest of the family stalked up in complete silence to their rooms.

Hermione and Severus had gone to their room and where changing to head to the restaurant when they heard a knock. Hermione opened the door to their daughter. Miranda's eyes were red and darker than normal. Her face was very obviously tear-stained. She didn't say anything but motioned for her parents to sit on the small loveseat in the suite. Hermione obliged but Severus preferred to stand near the fireplace behind it.

She didn't seem to care either way. She was still; looking at the ground as if choosing her words carefully or attempting to not let her emotions get the best of her. She looked at both of them and started to talk.

"I'm done. I'm done trying to pretend this will ever work or make sense. We have all been kidding ourselves for far too long. I know the both of you well-enough to believe you to be above all else logical and rational human beings. I have inherited at least that much from you both. Nevertheless, let us be logical on the matter…the matter of me. I am not magical. I will never be magical. You are both magical. Leo, Remus, Theo, Lillian, Henry and Eileen are magical. They have grown-up in that world just like you. I have not. I haven't even grown-up in the same country. We come from two separate worlds and I have a life that you wanted no part of or have had no part in…in a very long time. I'll admit for the past few years this has been my decision. I made the choice to stay away. I didn't send me here though- and I didn't make things difficult the few times I did come home. All of that Mum and Father falls on you."

She paused, wiped more tears from her eyes, and took a deep breath. "I cannot pretend that I don't believe that you don't love me and that you didn't send me away because I was something _wrong_ in your sight. I wish I could believe what you did was the best for me but I'm 16 years old and I have nothing to show me otherwise. In a few days, I will leave for college. After that, unless it is an absolute emergency or a far greater force persuades me, I will not be coming home or in contact with the family-at all. There is no need for you to acknowledge your absentee daughter and there will be no reason for me to wonder about a family I never see. I will _not_ be going to dinner with you tonight. It will be awkward and useless. I have called Mrs. Freeve and she is sending some workers to help me with my stuff and I will move in with them till I leave for Princeton."

Hermione was sobbing and Severus refused to look at her. The ungrateful-evil-twit--how could he have raised…

He stopped, realizing that was the problem. He hadn't raised her.

Miranda's voice was steady and calm as if a peace had come over her at finally saying what a seven year old little girl needed to say years ago. "Mum, don't waste your tears on me…I will be just fine."

With nothing more than that- she turned and left the room.

* * *

I don't know what happened after I left their room that day. I guess I stopped caring. I didn't stop loving my family but caring about what they thought or would think of me--yeah, that was no more. I came this week because my Mum begged and because Uncle Harry begged and because my brothers and sisters had begged and because I was about to begin a new chapter in my life. I wanted this one to end. I needed to know things were going to be okay for them all so I could move on with my life. While I may have stopped worrying about what they thought of me- I didn't stop worrying about them.

"_Miranda_."

"_Father_."

And with that, he spoke two other words. "_ACCIO _notebook." A worn-leather notebook on the table near my Father's chair flew to his hand. He held the notebook in his hand and looked to me as I continued to focus on the journal in my lap.

"New order?" I asked politely.

"No, refining process."

"I see."

"Research?" He asked politely.

"Of sorts. Peer articles."

"Of course. Dinner will be at seven. Your Mum is at the Potters."

"Thank-you…for…telling me."

"Right."

Thus ended the longest conversation my Father and I have had in nearly ten years and then I am not certain you could have called our last interaction much of a conversation. It was more a one-ended conversation with me doing all the talking.

At least it was…civil. Is that the right word? Is it dreadfully horrible that a 'talk' between a girl and her father is of all things- civil? Shouldn't it be more? Or is this is that all that can ever be between us?

I shake my head. I clear my thoughts. I return back to my medical journals. I turn back to the comfort of facts, cases, and history. And it's with this that I sigh and lean back a little more and realize, frightened, that I am more like my parents than I could have ever imagined.

Not even I can hide from that.

* * *

**ROOF OF PRINCETON-PLANESBORO TEACHING HOSPITAL**

"You're late."

"Sorry. They were out of pickles."

"Out of pickles?"

"I made them steal them from a poor pregnant woman in 32 hour labor in the Maternity ward. She had them stashed in a fridge there."

"I love you."

"You love your Rueben with pickles."

"You're right."

There was a comfortable silence between the two as they ate their sandwiches on the roof of P.P.T.H.

"You know you want to ask it…"

"_You met her_?"

"Her, as in who?"

"Don't make me say it."

"Who, _House?_"

"Doctor Snake…"

"It's _Snape._"

"Whatever. You met her."

"I gave her a tour of the Hospital."

"What did you find out?"

"Nothing, House; absolutely nothing."

"Yeah right. I know you…spill." He said as he stopped eating his Rueben. He walked closer and glared. "What do you know?"

"She's smart."

"_Duh_. What else?"

"No, House I mean she's really smart. I bet Foreman 50 she'll outsmart you on her first day."

"Thanks for the confidence."

"You're welcome."

"What else did you learn? You like to talk and all that feeling crap. Didn't you like bond or something?"

"No. I took her on the tour of the Hospital. She was quiet. She was reserved. She barely even spoke. She's definitely from England but has lived here a long time. Her accent is faded. She's very dedicated to this job and making it work. _That's it_, House."

"What does she look like?"

"Why?"

"What do you mean- 'Why?' Jealous?"

"No. She's medium height, athletic, dark curly hair and a slight tan."

"Hmmmmm…"

"What was that? Why are _you_ so curious about her?"

"Clinic duty." Was all House said and he returned to his sandwich and his scheming.

* * *

**TBC...**


	4. Tell Me Lies

Disclaimer: See earlier chapters.

A/N: Sorry this update took so long but work has been rather busy and this story has been killing me.

Read and review or mock. I would mock it at this point.

EllaTwain

* * *

**THE POTTERS**

It had nearly destroyed their friendship.

But then again it _wasn't_ Harry's child and _wasn't_ Harry's dilemma. The Boy-Who-Lived-More-Than-Once was not in Severus' or Hermione's place

"You have no one to blame 'Mione, except yourself." Harry responded as the three sat out on the patio with tea. Hermione had come over confused and upset about the growing disaster of her oldest daughter's arrival.

"Harry!" Ginny chided her husband.

"What Ginny? _Am I wrong_? I told them from the start that what they were doing was no worse than how my Aunt and Uncle treated me all those years-"

Ginny interrupted her ranting husband. "Harry! That was entirely different and you know it! And if you think about it, they let you attend Hogwarts and they let you find _your_ world; a world in which you belonged. You had to be _sent away_ for it to happen, _right_? Hermione and Severus did what they thought would be best. They sent her to a world in which she could belong and grow. There are consequences that came from both of these scenarios. To think that because we are magic we can escape the wrath of our decisions is _ridiculous_."

"She could have remained _here_. Attended Muggle schools _here_. Gotten a job _here._ She could have been with _the family_."

"And what Harry?" Hermione finally spoke. "Watch every year as her brothers and sisters were sent to a magical place and to do magical things just like their parents. How did watching such a world fair for your aunt? If I remember rightly, **it didn't**. She was left feeling like an outsider and deemed your own mum a _freak._ How did it work for Argus Filch? He's a bitter man, who haunts the grounds, always angry at children who possess what he never will. We could never stop our children from being magical as it would be just a disservice to them as to try to make Miranda magical. We did what we had to do for the greater good of our family and for _her_."

"_Greater good_…where have I heard that before?" Harry muttered sarcastically.

Hermione stood and met her old friend eye to eye. "**Listen Harry**, we have been around this over and over again. It's time _you_ let it go. I can no longer worry about the past and the decisions a mother and father made in the best intentions for their child. It's done Harry and it's been many years since it was done. Miranda has grown-up. She's a doctor and she's settled. She will do great things, I believe. _And you know what Harry_, she will do all of this without us. _Without her family_. I had to beg Harry, I had to beg my own daughter to come stay with us for one week. I haven't seen her in ten years and I had to beg for her to do it. I cannot worry about what happened years ago; _right now_ I must worry about the future and how to make certain it will not be another ten years before I see my child. I have to figure out how to make a father and daughter who haven't literally spoken in ten years talk to one another. If you are my friend, you would help me. You would help me as I have helped you so _many many times before_." Hermione's sparkling eyes were blurred by tears. The tears quickly became sobs and she fell back onto the patio chair.

Ginny Potter gave her husband a deadly look before placing a comforting arm around Hermione. Harry relented just as quickly, bent down and looked Hermione in the eyes.

"I will do all that I can Hermione. I have done nothing less over the years."

Hermione's eyebrow quirked at the end of his statement.

"Did _you_ honestly think I would not intervene? I have done my best to communicate with Miranda and help her in any way I can to understand this world and her own. I have outreached to the girl even when she didn't want it. I did this all because she is your daughter-she is Severus' daughter and I owe both of you _my very life_. I will do as much as I can while she is here but Hermione, I make no promises. I agree we must accept that the past has happened and there can be little done to change it. Nevertheless, to move on from it, is an entirely different story. We lived through that and we fought through that and it seems we must do it again."

"I am tired of battles, war and fighting Harry. I just want my daughter back." Hermione replied very softly.

"Anything worth loving is always worth fighting for. You, _my good friend_, taught me that and that is what _you_ must do."

The war was on.

--

* * *

**A CAFE**

"Rose!" Miranda exclaimed joyously as she hugged the bulging petite red-haired woman.

"Oh, Mir!" Rose Weasley-Snape responded, just as excited to see her old friend and sister-in-law.

Rose Dianne Wealsey-Snape was the only daughter to Ronald and Luna Weasley. Rose was her mother in stature and frame but had inherited her father's bright red hair and matching freckles. She was a sweet and nurturing young woman, the same age as Miranda and the two had been close friends and relatives.

It seemed strange that out of all the people from her family and extended family, Rose was her best friend and greatest confidant. Born the same year and placed together often as children the two became inseparable. And Rose, at the young age of seven, could not understand why Miranda had to be sent far away. She would later come to know why but children never get over seeing their best friends move far away.

Lucky for both, Rose had sense enough to keep in contact with her friend. Before Miranda left Rose gave her an enchanted musical box in which they were able to exchange notes from across the seas. The pair of boxes traveled all over with the girls and through them they shared all their lives and deepest secrets.

When Rose had been placed in Gryffindor, a note went into the box first thing. When Miranda had been accepted to Princeton, she made a copy of the letter and placed it in the box. Back and forth their lives and loves went. When Rose had fallen in love with Leo, Miranda's older and brooding brother, thousands of notes were exchanged. When Miranda had fallen in love with her attending doctor, a much older and recently divorced man, Rose had left the box and gone to visit. At last, when Leo finally saw the beautiful young woman that Rose had become and proposed, the ring and a letter went into the box. That was followed by a beautiful small card and small engagement gift from Miranda.

The two remained in each other's lives and somehow never let the magical divider divide them. But only one other person knew of the fast and true friendship and that was Miranda's brother Leo.

It made sense for him to know and little got past her eldest brother. Miranda did carry a certain respect for her brother; if for nothing else but for choosing the best wife possible. Miranda had not been able to attend their wedding due to a natural disaster crisis for which she had been called-in to work but she had sent a spectacular gift.

_She gave them a crib. _

There had been fits of laughter when the couple opened the large package to discover the crib. Shouts of 'it was much too soon' and 'what weren't they telling everyone' filled the room. But all of it was lost on Leo and Rose. The crib was a hand-carved wood, smooth with delicate and intricate wooden-designs engraved into it. Inside it was fitted with the softest of beds and blankets.

Rose assured the crowd and family she was not pregnant and jokingly made the comment that Miranda was obviously hoping a little too hard. _Leo knew better_. Leo knew that Miranda was seeing something he and Rose hadn't. They had discussed waiting for children and both establishing respectable careers first.

Ten months later Nora Cate Snape was born and placed within the beautiful crib. Rose had asked Miranda why she got them a crib. Miranda had no deep explanation other than she saw the crib at a sale several weeks before the wedding in New York City. She saw the item and felt an urgent need to purchase it for them. She hadn't found a suitable wedding gift and if nothing else, it would be a good gag and laugh. Rose eyed her friend cautiously. Miranda assured her it was nothing more than a gift and a good buy. There was nothing magical about it. She had assumed they would have children at some point- after all, Rose was a _Weasley_. The crib could wait to be filled till that time.

Rose and Leo hadn't believed a word.

"Okay, sit-sit. I want to know everything about your new job, loft, and how many doctors have proposed to you since you arrived at your new hospital." She laughed jovially.

"First, I haven't started my new job yet. I had my initial interview but I told you how that went already. My new loft while sucking my very last dime from me is absolutely amazing. It has a wonderful view of splendid little park and garden and the entire city. It's spacious and open and perfect for me. And the last answer to your question is zero. The only doctors I met have been Doctors Lisa Cuddy, James Wilson and Allison Cameron. Doctors Cuddy and Wilson are expecting a child together; although I am not sure if it means they are a couple or it was an arrangement of sorts. Doctor Cameron, while a very pretty young doctor is a woman. _So none_. And honestly, I just don't have time or the want Ro. After my relationship ended with Spenser, I was broken and it took away from my ability to do my job. I need all the ability I possess for this position and I cannot afford to be distracted."

"That's what you said exactly a week before you met Spenser."

"I mean it this time Ro. I really do. This could be a career-making opportunity and I don't intend to waste it. I haven't even started and I know I am going to have my hands full. I've written five new memorandums, revised current policy for the free Clinic, made policy for the new Clinic, am reviewing job applications, and must also find a way to control a troublesome doctor that will be working for me."

"I could always help with that…" Rose spoke, giving a sly wink.

Normally, Miranda would have been upset with the implication of using magic but with Rose it was just typical order for them. "I might actually take you up on that offer."

"The doctor must be a right special git if you are willing to resort to magical means."

"Git does not begin to describe him, Ro. He's the best in his field and he won't let anyone forget it. He's arrogant in a very unique way and has made life for most of the staff at the hospital a living hell. He once held an '**American Idol' **competition to choose his new fellows…interns that is. He had them doing all sorts of weird and unethical things to 'win' a place in his department."

"You're kidding?"

"No and he will be working _for me_. He's not going to like this in the least. So bring on the magic--what do you suggest a charm, a potion--how about a hex?" Miranda laughed.

"Hex would be good. I'm fairly great at hexes." Rose responded laughing too.

"Anyway, I'm busy. I enjoy it. I live for it but I would also like to work on getting the Clinics updated with the latest technology and software. I would like to send my staff to patient care seminars. There are miles of work to be done and I'm just beginning."

"You sound like Albus."

"Albus?"

"Albus _Severus _Potter, remember, _my cousin_…he's the same age as me and you. He's Harry's middle son and has been working for St. Mungo's as a foreign healer. He's been traveling for the past three years. Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry haven't seen him since last Christmas and I haven't seen him since the summer holiday before that, _I think_. Last I even heard he was in Budapest with a group of wizards working on a better solution than Skel-e-grow for the replacement of bones. But anyway…he's all about his work. James is married with four kids and Lily is pregnant with her and Scorpius' first child. Albus is just so driven and independent, a lot like you, actually."

"Don't even go there Rose."

"_What?"_

"I know that tone. I am _not_ interested."

"Why? Albus is successful. He's in the 'medical field'-_sort of_. He's quiet good-looking, or so my friends tell me over and over again. He hasn't dated anyone worth a lick in ages. He's intelligent--"

"Seriously, Rose, stop. While I am sure Albus is a catch amongst the wizarding world at large I have no interest in dating or mating with a wizard. I don't actually see how it could ever work. My career is very permanent and settled in one hospital in the Muggle world in the United States. Your cousin is all over the wizarding community and world and doesn't appear to be settling down anytime soon. I love Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny- I do but I don't see me considering their son."

"You know I hate this."

"Hate _what?_"

"Hate it when you do this 'magical versus non-magical' crap. I am one of your closest friends and your sister-in-law and I am a witch, Miranda. Your beloved niece and future nephew will most likely be a wizard too."

"_Why_? Because you and Leo are a witch and wizard-didn't seem to work for my parents. Please do not do the disservice to your child in hoping they will be such things; _it will let you down_."

"Miranda, that's not what I meant and **you know it**. What I mean is that you are so quick to build a great wall between yourself and anything remotely to do with magic that you don't realize all the goodness and the possibility of good things you are walling out. There is _me and Leo_. There are your other siblings _who love you_. There is the extended family that would do anything for you if you merely asked. And Miranda, whether you believe me or not, there _are your parents." _

She put her hand-up to stop her friend from the obvious interruption.

"Miranda, hear me out. I know you are apt and prone to believe your Mum barely loves you and your Father doesn't at all but _I can say_ I know them better than you do. I truly believe they love you; they loved you enough to let you go in hopes you would have an easier life. Maybe it wasn't the right decision, but as a parent _there are no guarantees_. You simply do what's best and _hope_ that you made the right decision. Your Mum was born to two Muggles. She lived in a Muggle world. She understands more than you ever give her credit for and she is proud of you. Your father…"

Her voice hushed a little. "Miranda I think your father blames himself for what happened or didn't happen to you. I think he believes his past deeds are responsible for everything and I don't think you will ever convince him otherwise. I remember when we were younger. I remember when you use to live here. You were his little girl, _Miranda_. His eyes, so much like _your eyes_, lit up whenever you walked into the room. His eyes broke when he realized what was wrong with you."

Miranda didn't say a word. She fancied herself a person who lived a truthful honest existence and valued such things.

_She was a liar. _

She didn't like or care for at all what Rose had to say. In fact, Miranda thought it hurtful and ridiculously cruel she had said it. Maybe Rose did know her parents better than she did. That was just fact. However, Rose would never know what it is like to be abandon by the very people that brought you into the world….even if the abandonment is nothing more than your own creation or device. She would never know what it is like to feel like a complete disappointment and waste to one's own family.

"Rose you are too much like your Mum." Was all she could say and with that she let the matter drop. Rose knowing Miranda just as well let it drop too. There was no use in arguing or continuing on with the discussion. Miranda was not ready to accept such a thing and they both knew it. They returned to their conversation of idle chit-chat and gossip pretending as if all were well.

--


	5. Got A Secret

****

Disclaimer: See earlier chapters.

A/N: Arg! I apologize this has taken so long to update but to make a very long confusing story short on my personal life- left job, went back to school, found two new jobs, found a boyfriend, found myself in another show, and am soon to be finding a nervous breakdown. Enjoy the updates while they last----summer is lookin' good! ;)

Read and review or mock. I would mock it at this point, seriously mock.

EllaTwain

* * *

**P.P.T.H.**

"Nurse Debra…"

"What do you want?"

"Why do you assume I want something? Can't I just come down and visit with my favorite nurse. Although- you better keep that on the_ down low_- don't want the other ones to get jealous or anything…"

"_Of course Doctor House_. I'll say it again- what do you want Doctor House?"

"Fine, fine. What do you know about this new doctor coming in---Doctor…Doctor…"

"Doctor Snape?"

"Sure."

Nurse Debra sighed and laid down the mass of files she had been holding. Ironically, these were all to be delivered to House to be completed. At least he saved her the trip to his department. She knew she might as well tell him all she knew. He wouldn't let up otherwise and she was perfectly content to have a _House-free_ day.

"What would you like to know?"

"Have you met her?"

"No. We have been communicating through e-mail. She is with her family in England at the moment. She has however on her vacation managed to re-evaluate and revise our current Clinic policies on about _everything_, write the newly instated policy for the Dialysis Clinic, hire four new nurses for the Dialysis Clinic and two new nurses for this Clinic, find money in an already tight budget to update from hard-files and boards to electronic ones with the software and a training seminar. I am officially worshipping the ground she walks on. She's smart Dr. House and I think your days of skipping Clinic duty are nearing to an end."

"You give her too much credit."

"You aren't going to give her enough. She has Dr. Cuddy eating out of the palm of her hand. I'd enjoy your _Gameboy_ while you still can." Nurse Debra smirked.

"What do you know-_you're just a nurse_."

"And you're just a doctor---_like her_. She's younger than you and has managed to do far more at that age than you ever did---she's better than you. So- **what do you know?**" She replied pointedly.

-------

**BACK AT THE SNAPE-GRANGER SUMMER HOME...**

A meeting of the siblings had been called by Eileen and Henry. It was a rare thing these days they were all able to be under the same roof but with a little organization and strategic planning they managed the assembly. Leo, Remus, Theo, and Lillian waited as Eileen and Henry approached them with three items in their respective hands.

Eileen handed her brother the photograph, the letter, and the gift.

"Welcome, Eileen and Henry, to the club." He said.

"_What club_?" Eileen responded, confused by her oldest brother's words.

"Miranda has been present for every one of our graduations. She apparently arrives at Hogwarts by magical means, hides within the castle, watches the graduation from a safe distance and leaves the following: a letter, a snapshot of us graduating, and a gift of her choosing. Each letter and snapshot and gift is unique but always the same three things left on our House beds before we leave."

"How does she get in?"

"Well, we wondered the same thing once we all realized what she had been doing. At your graduation we were determined to catch her but never did and that's when we realized who had been aiding her."

Eileen looked at her brothers and sister in baited anticipation.

"The current Headmaster and Uncle Harry…we reckon that Headmaster McGongall and now, Headmaster Longbottom both send her the letter of the date and time so she will be able come to Hogwarts. We also believe they arrange for her to arrive by portkey or floo into Hogsmeade. Then, we can safely say that Uncle Harry has loaned her his Invisibility Cloak and she sneaks around the grounds a comfortable distance between the ceremony and others. We assume the Headmaster lets her in the House dorms to leave her gifts and arranges for her departure." Lillian explained.

"But this means she's been doing this since she was---" Henry began.

"Since she was 15 years old, right before her own graduation." Leo finished for Henry.

"Do Mum and Dad know?" Was Henry's next logical question.

"NO!" Remus and Theo all but shouted. "And they aren't to ever know. It would kill Mum and infuriate Dad if they did." Remus answered.

Eileen and Henry nodded in understanding.

"Did you ever ask Uncle Harry about it or _even Headmaster Longbottom_?" Eileen inquired.

"I asked Uncle Harry once- right after we discovered she had come to all of our graduations." Lillian responded.

"What did he say?"

"He shook his head. Smiled a little and told me that _he had tried to do more_ and give Miranda more than his Cloak but she had refused it. She told him after Leo's graduation the Cloak was enough and far more than a man she barely knew owed her. He said after that their correspondence was minimal and reserved for only usage of the Cloak." Lillian spoke, her voice tinted with the same sadness as she had heard in her Uncle's that day.

"Do you think we should talk to Miranda about it? I don't know…thank her?"

"No. I think if Miranda wanted to talk about it she would. I think this is meant simply to be between the chosen sibling or siblings and herself. She hasn't been a part of our lives and I guess this is what she figures she can do to try with us." Leo said, adamant that the youngest twin set not get any ideas to bring the topic up with her.

------------------------------------------------------------

I listened at the doorway, unseen by the siblings. _So,_ they had finally figured out my little secret. There was much more they would ever know to the whole story and as far as I knew the fewer people that _were aware of that_ -all the better for me!

-----------------------------------------------------------

**::FLASHBACK::**

Headmaster Neville Longbottom had come to enjoy his conversations with the young woman currently in his office. She seemed at ease in the place full of his own oddities he had collected over the years. She walked around the room till she came to a familiar item---the Sorting Hat. Neville chose this moment to speak.

"_Gryffindor_. You would have been a Gryffindor and might I say a superb Gryffindor at that."

"Gryffindor, _hmmmm_. Not Ravenclaw or Slytherin or even _Hufflepuff_?" She mused the Headmaster.

He shook his head in matched amusement and yet determined certainty. "Gryffindor is the house of the brave and courageous and those never faint of heart. You, _Miranda Jane Snape_, have braved the strangest of worlds in a most unforgiving way and have triumphed. I do believe and can with full conviction say that you would have been destined for greatness as a Gryffindor. Maybe for even greater things than your own parents…" He gave a short odd chuckle. "This is why you could never be magical. _You would do us all in_." He laughed.

"I wonder Headmaster if you say this because you feared my father so much…" She laughed back, never truly bothered where the conversation had led.

"I might." He supposed. "But then again, in the end, your father was the least of my fears---_frightening though he remains_. I wonder when you will stop being frightened of him too. You are too strong and will-full Miranda to be scared of your own father at this time in your life. You are successful I take it in the non-magical realm and you do great and noble deeds. What is there to fear of a man who has done _nothing more_ and _nothing less_?"

Miranda gave a long thought to Headmaster Longbottom's words. "Headmaster, it isn't my Father I fear. You are quite right- what do I have to fear of the man? I do not fear my Father; I fear becoming like him. I have heard my whole life over I have _his_ eyes and _his_ temperament. I fear becoming _that_ man. I fear becoming a person who would abandon their child because their child was nothing more than different."

"_Is that what you think they did Miranda_?" Neville asked, shocked and dismayed by Miranda's deduction of her parents' actions.

She gave a small smile and non-committal shrug. "Headmaster, what else is a seven year old little girl meant to think when she is sent across the world to a large Muggle city, _alone_? My conclusion has only come after years of experience and thinking about the short disastrous times I was with 'them'. My father will not look at me. My mother does and she gives the appearance that I am a hopeless cause. My brothers and sisters seem thoroughly confused about my existence and life." She was silent again but spoke before he could. "_No Headmaster_, I will not become my Father. It may be the reason I am determined to have nothing to do with magic. If this is what magic begets…" She said making a sweeping motion with her hands. "Then leave me to the Muggles. _I am happy there_."

With no words of good-bye, Miranda turned and headed towards the passageway and then to Hogsmeade where her portkey awaited her. Neville turned to the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, who had watched the whole interaction with silent observance. "And Headmaster Dumbledore what do you think?" Neville asked of the beloved old man.

The man in the portrait sighed and one might have seen his eyes glisten with tears. "There _is_ magic in her Neville. Not the kind that you or I am under or see here in the school. But there is great magic and that _is_ the most powerful magic of all."

"You speak of love. It is your biggest catchphrase, _Sir_."

The portrait laughed. "I do harp on it, don't I? Yes, I speak of love. When I knew that Severus would live and that he would indeed fall in love again; when I knew that Hermione was such a girl to deserve and be gifted with such a love and return it; and when I knew they would have a daughter like Miranda---I knew, I knew _that the love would be in her_. Her capacity, Miranda's capacity to love because of her life and what she has done, is greater than the magic of Harry Potter himself."

"That is a large assertion, Sir, _even for you_."

Albus laughed. "It is and I only dwell in a portrait. Nonetheless, little escapes me and or has in a long time. This is not the last of Miranda Snape and her gifts. No Neville, I do think the young woman that just left definitely has her part in the grand history of our world. It will, as all things, **take time**."

"Headmaster, I hope you are right."

---------------------------------------------

**LIBRARY**

Severus Snape sat and gazed at his wife of many many years.

They had been dubbed by _The Daily Prophet _'The Git and The Girl.' It didn't matter if they had saved the entire bloody wizarding world and he had been exonerated of past crimes and she had been responsible for helping The-Boy-Who-Just-Wouldn't-Die…their union was looked on with disdain, disgust, and displeasure by most of the wizarding community. Not that Snape actually cared what the former dunderheads he taught thought of him but he could not wish that upon the woman he loved. He had done everything within his power to push the irritating and yet alluring know-it-all away from him. He treated her worse than those ridiculous house elves she was always fighting for and she never moved. She remained stalwart and true in her love for him.

It all began four years after the _War_. Severus had retired from teaching, finally through with working with students who had no appreciation for the skill and art of potion making. It was a complete waste of his time. He returned to the dilapidated 'family' home on Spinner's End. He began to 'work from home' as he had heard the Muggles call it. He was contracted with privately owned businesses in need of his potions and several other contracts from various departments in the Ministry. His days were spent in his 'dungeon' working and very little else. He became a horrible recluse; sharing communication with Minerva and Harry- assuring them he was still alive and had not resorted to any 'drastic means' to end his miserable existence as at times he desired.

On a very ordinary and dreary Monday he was disturbed from his work by a small overly-hyper tawny owl. The owl was a Ministry-issue messenger and he could only begin to wonder what the Ministry wanted from him now. He took the parchment and sent the owl away with no treat of gratitude, as per usual.

_Dear Severus Snape_,

_It is with great honor and esteem that we write you. Recently, a graduate of the The Queen's Concordance Witchcraft and Wizarding University in Dublin, has requested an internship with you. We are quite certain you will be as excited as we are to obtain such a worthy candidate to work under you. This witch has graduated top of her class and wishes to pursue a career in potions with the Ministry upon completion of her internship. She has specifically requested to work under you and feels that you will be the best instructor to prepare her for her bright future. _

_We have taken care of her lodgings and personal respects; as you will only be responsible for her continuing education. This program is a year and half in length. You may expect Miss Hermione Granger on the fifth of October at 10:30 am. _

_Thank-you for your time and willingness to aid the Ministry. _

_Sincerely,_

_Rolanda Reiners_

_Head of Educational Ministerial Internship Placement_

_P.S. On a personal note: Severus you will take in Hermione as your intern whether you like it or not. We are quite aware of several 'other' dealings of your personal business. We are more than willing to overlook them and allow you to continue on- as long as Miss Granger's internship is to her satisfaction and ours. We have high hopes for her in the Ministry and she will only agree to our contract if you are her Potions Master. Is this to be understood? The Ministry may be 'forwardly' against blackmail but as your former student and former Slytherin house member- I am not. _

Three cauldrons exploded that day and twelve people were Obliverated. It was not a good day for Severus Snape. He was bound to take her or else lose valuable clientele. He knew enough of Ms. Reiners to know she would do everything within her power to get what she wanted. After all, he had taught her _no less_.

On October 5th, Hermione Granger arrived at Spinner's End promptly at 10:30 am. Ushered in by his house elf Ronky, he met the 'Insufferable-Know-It-All' in his private office. Severus was not naïve enough to believe that in the nearly four years since he had seen his former pupil and fellow-saviour of the world she had not changed. He imagined she would have grown into a taller, bushier, and bossier version of her younger herself and nothing more.

Both were surprised that day.

Hermione Granger was taller, older, with a hair cut suitable for a woman of her age and attractiveness. She wasn't fit nor round, but an agreeable figure from lack of proper nutrition and running to the hundreds of classes she had taken. Her hair, voice, and general nature were tamer and more reserved. Her eyes were brighter as most are in the light of a promising Ministry future. To say he found the young woman before him appealing would be a correct assumption. However this feeling was followed by amount guilt and feeling a bit pervy for looking at a former pupil as he had- _especially a pupil he had rather disliked._

Hermione, herself had assumed the years and time spent in reclusion in a dungeon would do horrible things to her former Potions teacher. She had continued to picture him over the past months as grotesque hunchback disfigured in face and form. During her years at Hogwarts he was a tall, lanky, greasy-haired man with an abnormally large nose and dreadful teeth. (Being the child of dentists it was a regular point of contention for herself. Her own teeth were corrected by her fourth year.) He was pale and thin but his eyes…well, his eyes had been a secret fascination of hers. They were black and eerily reflective. They, like the man, were a mystery to her that could not be solved by reading any book.

Severus Snape was not a monster by any means. He had recovered from his battle in the War and from the years of teaching. He no longer wore the intimidating dark robes of a professor and had gained a healthy amount of weight. His nose was still crooked and his teeth still yellow but he was not as sallow either. How this occurred baffled Hermione. His once long greasy black hair was cut short and peppered with white strands. She deduced he had cut his hair for business reasons. He never seemed to care about his appearance at Hogwarts. Now, she was a young woman looking at an older, brilliant, valiant man with the same eyes that had led her to slight crush on the professor.

Moments of silence followed and Severus explained to Hermione in tactless terms the condition of her 'internship.' In her former life, before her disastrous break-up with Ronald, awful falling out with Harry and then Ginny and then the whole Weasley family, she would have argued and dissented. Hermione had learned through painful experiences to keep her mouth shut. She got along far better this way. (She would slip on occasion but of late without a boyfriend, best friend, or anyone to berate and talk to- it was pointless.)

The next nine months were the worst of her life and Severus'. It was awkward at best and doomed in the worst state. It was a day to day life of tolerating one another. Hermione was learning at his side, that couldn't be denied. Professor Snape was exact, acute and detailed when it came to potions and Hermione absorbed all he said and did. To Severus' surprise she did not argue and she kept her questions to a minimum. He was ill-eased with the new development with the girl who had her hand perpetually stuck-up in the air during his classes. _What had happened? _

He would later discover through a random conversation with Minerva the dramatic break-up of her and the Weasley boy and the fight between her and the infamous golden Trio and Weasley clan. The girl had been ostracized and was as much of recluse as himself. Minerva was quite worried about her and asked Severus to at least make sure she was well.

It was in month thirteen of the internship that everything changed. It was the 19th of October and the work load for his business was almost out-of-hand even with Hermione's aid. Both had been putting in ungodly hours to finish orders and create new ones. The dungeon ranked of the smells of unfinished, finished and botched potions. Miss Granger had even resorted to sleeping on his uncomfortable beaten couch rather than trudging home.

That one night, October 19th, things changed forever; as they were in the habit of doing. Tempers were flaring and the calm reserve Hermione had taken-on was dwindling and almost gone.

The final end to both of their patience exploded along with the fifth attempt at a new very valuable potion for a Department in the Ministry.

"YOU NARCISSITIC GIT! HOW DARE YOU SAY THIS IS MY FAULT?!? I'M NOT THE ONE WHO INSISTED THERE BE DRAGON'S BLOOD IN IT---THAT WAS YOUR BLOODY IDEAL!" Hermione screamed, throwing her fists about.

"WELL, IF I HADN'T HAD SOME AGGRAVATING KNOW-IT-ALL CONSTANTLY PESTERING ME TO ADD _SOMETHING ELSE _TO THE POTION… THEN IT WOULD'T HAVE BLOODY WELL EXPLODED!" Severus shot back, giving her his most evil glare.

With that the two stood in the tension, red-faced and irate. The seconds turned into minutes and then Hermione Granger began to laugh. She laughed with an exasperated sigh as she looked at Severus Snape.

Severus was certain the girl was mad and had taken complete leave of her senses. Why in the world was she laughing?

With all the courageous audacity of a true Gryffindor, Hermione closed the distance between her and Severus and with her hands took his face, drew it to hers and began to kiss him.

Severus was shocked and repulsed and had grabbed her shoulders with his own free hands ready to push the girl away. But as she kissed him, he realized _this wasn't the kiss of a girl_. This wasn't a curious crush that would be satisfied with the meeting of the lips very softly and quickly. This was the kiss of a woman who longed for a deeper connection with the man she was kissing. Instead of pushing her way, Severus took her shoulders and pulled her closer, deepening the quickly maddening kiss between the two of them. She opened her mouth in complete surrender to his kiss and let his tongue explore her mouth. She moaned in excitement and returned with her own 'exploration.'

Neither had any concept of the amount of time they spent locked in their first 'snog' but needless to say, Hermione Granger's life changed forever that night. Kicking and screaming, she drug Severus Snape's life into change, too. Their courtship was mutually private, short, weird and wonderful. Potions were finished quicker, work done with greater urgency and of course, much more time was spent snogging.

_Well, not just snogging_.

The couple's favorite activity was to sit in the den with a warm fire and for Hermione to lie in Severus arms as he read. She never cared what he read, just the closeness of him, her head on his lean chest and the sound of his voice was perfection. He enjoyed her sweet smell, the softness of her hair and how comfortable she felt with him. He hadn't had that since his teenage years when he and Lily were close. They weren't bothered by the outside world and they left it alone. If life could have stayed like that Severus might have believed it was unreal.

But nothing stays the same for long. One night after a quite dinner together and an unusual randy display of affection on his front stoop, an old classmate and student had witnessed the event and made an 'anonymous' call to _The Prophet_. The wizarding world was in a complete media storm over the apparent coupling of a beloved heroine and despised double-agent.

Hermione was completely berated by her former friends and adjunct family. (Her own parents had passed away in a terrible Muggle car accident when she was in her third year at the University.) The Ministry also had words for both of them but Hermione extended her negotiated contract when finished with her internship and discounted Severus' potion prices to the Ministry. Nothing more was said on that end. She was determined not to let Severus have any reason or excuse to leave this relationship. She gave him no means of escape even if by stupid heroic bravery. He was stuck with her- plain and simple.

Then after several short months, Hermione Granger became Mrs. Severus Snape, wife of her former Potions Professor. By then Harry Potter and his Weasley wife had come around and began welcoming the couple in their home. (As if Severus would actually ever go to such a plan on his own accord, although haven been invited numerous times in the past…) The Weasley boy had married the Luny-girl and was content to see his ex-girlfriend and current-friend happy. Draco and his Muggle wife, Delia, had attended in honor of the groom. As it happened, Hermione and Delia got along well enough that Hermione agreed to let her stand-up on her side. Narcissa was in attendance but offered no congratulations. Minerva was there and smiled and vaguely threatened Severus if he hurt her favorite student. In the end, they were wed and began married life.

Three months after their marriage, Hermione discovered their family would be growing. Severus had never discussed a family- that is the want or need of one- with his wife. There was a part of him that wanted children and happiness that he had seen several of his peers assume but another part felt he deserved nothing of the kind. Generally speaking he never really cared for children when he taught them- what should make this different? Hermione, Draco, and even the Boy-Wonder assured him _when it was his_ _child_ it was a different story completely. And no matter, a child had been created and there was no turning back.

Leonartes Hugh Snape was born and Severus realized he could be a father. He could love someone else as much as he loved his wife. Then came a short while late the twins: Remus Albright and Theodore Phillip Snape.

But after his first three boys he was rather excited when his daughter had been born. Miranda Jane Snape took his breath away. Everyone commented on her capture of all the best traits of her parents- especially how she had Severus' eyes. When he held her, he fell in love all over again.

You are never supposed to have favorites but from the first time he held her- Miranda was secretly his. She was going to be his daughter and protégée and greatest creation. She was the perfect 'potion' and that is what he called her. He and Hermione's magic bottled in a beautiful enchanting little girl. Three women he loved: first, Lily and then Hermione and now, Miranda.

After Miranda were Lillian Rosaline and the surprise packages of Eileen Saraah and Henry Thomas. He loved the rest of his children but Miranda held such a place in his once deadened and broken heart.

He should have known better. He was never good enough to get such a wonderful life without a cost. The cost was that the light of his eyes would never become what he hoped- would never be able to live as they lived. His 'little potion' was not magical in the least. She was in the crudest terms a Squib.

Everyone had tried to be understanding, _well almost everyone_, but they would never understand his own guilt and his wife's heart break. _**Never.**_

His focus came back as his wife was apparently speaking to him.

"Are you alright?" Her concerned voice asked.

He gave his small classic side-smile and nodded. No, he wasn't alright and he wondered if he ever really would be again.

-------


End file.
